Large armored cruisers as affordable heavy-ship mass

Which navies might have benefited from building large armored cruisers?

The United States, Royal Navy, and possibly Japan could have used them as numerous heavy units within a deliberately balanced force structure.

The hypothetical Tiger Cubs illustrate a 9.2- to 11-inch-gun ship filling a third-rate role beneath battlecruisers and battleships. These large armored cruisers would provide numerous heavy units as dreadnoughts became too expensive to supply fleet-wide mass. Their guns would exceed the armament of most ships they encountered and offer useful long-range fire. The treaty system froze that missing layer for roughly two decades, World War II gave little opportunity to rebuild it, and Cold War planning emphasized major North Atlantic fleet actions. The United States, Royal Navy, and possibly Japan could all have used this flexible middle tier.